The 10 Best Movies Based On Video Games

Double Dragon is far from a masterpiece. You might think this is an odd way to start a best movies list, but the fact that the film is now looked at as an homage to the ’90s vibe with wild costumes, exaggerated action scenes, and over-the-top performances makes it a cult classic. 

It’s a film that strays far away from being serious and goes deep into absurdity. Based on the classic 1987 beat-em-up arcade game of the same name, it is set in a post-apocalyptic 2007 Los Angeles. It follows brothers Billy (Scott Wolf) and Jimmy Lee (Mark Dacascos) as they fight to protect half of a magical dragon medallion from the evil crime lord Koga Shuko, played with over-the-top flair by Robert Patrick. Directed by James Yukich, the film also features Alyssa Milano as the female lead, battling street gangs and other villains to keep the medallion out of Shuko’s hands. 

Directed by Steven E. de Souza, Street Fighter is a live-action adaptation of the popular Street Fighter II video game series from Capcom. The film follows Colonel Guile (Jean-Claude Van Damme) as he leads a team to take down the maniacal General M. Bison (Raul Julia). Julia, in his last film appearance, seeks world domination through an army of genetically enhanced super-soldiers. The film brings popular in-game characters such as Ryu (Byron Mann), Ken (Damian Chapa), Cammy (Kylie Minogue), and Chun-Li (Ming-Na Wen), among others. 

While this is another campy creation, Raul Julia’s performance as the infamous M. Bison is an iconic homage to supervillains. In the process, Julia delivered a now-legendary line, “But for me, it was Tuesday”! It was his final film performance before his death, making the entire film far more significant and unforgettable. It’s safe to say that the film wasn’t a critical darling, it had many problems, one of which was straying away from source material, but is still a beloved classic in its genre. 

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We move into the 2000s and dive into a horror flick that deserves all the love it can get. Christopher Gans and Roger Avary took the eerie fog-filled setting of Silent Hill for the film and a few other choice elements. The movie diverges from the original game by gender-swapping the protagonist with Radha Mitchell playing Rose, who searches for her adopted daughter in the infamous town of Silent Hill. 

With a budget of $50 million, the film grossed $100 million worldwide. While it initially received negative reviews, it has since become a cult classic. This is mostly thanks to its nightmarish atmosphere and visual effects, despite many controversial takes with the screenplay. One of the film’s more controversial decisions was the inclusion of Pyramid Head, a monster from Silent Hill 2. Nevertheless, in light of the recent Silent Hill 2 video game remake success, Silent Hill the film is a classic worthy of revisiting. 

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Another Capcom IP on the list means two things. The Japanese giant has a rich catalog of iconic franchises, and they have never shied away from the possibility of adapting their games into live-action. Adding to the second notion is the fact that Resident Evil has seven films in total, grossing over $1 billion. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a 2021 action-horror film directed by Johannes Roberts, serving as a reboot of the Resident Evil film series, previously led by Paul W. S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich. The movie adapts the plots of the first two Capcom games, featuring iconic characters like Claire Redfield (Kaya Scodelario), Leon S. Kennedy (Avan Jogia), and Albert Wesker (Tom Hopper). For those unaware, it is set in 1998 and follows a group of survivors as they deal with a zombie outbreak in the titular city.

Despite trying to please longtime fans by being faithful to the source material, Welcome to Raccoon City failed to impress just like its predecessors. The lack of character development led to a meager $42 million in box office on a $25 million budget, but the film is a loyal homage to the original games with just enough horror essence and the most Resident Evil-like film of them all.

In the world of video games, no other character can come close to this iconic heroine. Lara has set the standard for bold, fearless female protagonists and the first film based on the Tomb Raider by Core Design game series perfectly translated that energy to the big screen, with Angelina Jolie in a pitch-perfect casting. The toughness, the charm, and the beauty – it’s all there. Though the film received mixed reviews, Jolie made it a box office hit, grossing $274 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing video game adaptations at the time. 

Directed by Simon West, the film is based on the Tomb Raider video game series by Core Design and follows Lara on her quest to stop the Illuminati from gaining control of a powerful ancient artifact. In addition to Jolie, the film featured Daniel Craig, Jon Voight, and Iain Glen in lead roles.

Capcom and Paul W.S. Anderson entwine in another IP from the Japanese giant. The Monster Hunter video game leapt onto the big screen in 2020 and Milla Jovovich was its main star, in addition to colossal monsters. The video game series tasks players with hunting and trapping monsters in an action RPG setting, but the film is all action.

The film’s plot diverges from games but the premise is still there. Jovovich’s character, the soldier Artemis, is transported to a world filled with colossal monsters and forced to fight for survival. The core of the game’s plot remains, but it failed to score big at the box office. Nevertheless, the film was praised for action, special effects, and marvelous set pieces, which were enough to ignite a sequel spark. Unfortunately, nothing has happened since 2020 and the main reason behind this could be the box office disaster. 

Despite its supersonic speed, Sonic couldn’t escape development hell for years. It was in the early 90s that the talk about a Sonic film began. However, Sonic the Hedgehog finally made it to the big screen in 2020. Based on the iconic Sega video game series, the film was directed by Jeff Fowler, with a script by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. It starred Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic, James Marsden as his human ally Tom, and Jim Carrey in a scene-stealing role as Dr. Robotnik. The film was a new take on the beloved blue anthropomorphic hedgehog while staying true to the spirit of the games in the process. 

The film grossed over $320 million worldwide to become one of the highest-grossing films based on video games. This success led to a 2022 sequel and a third movie is already in the works, proving Sonic has a bright future on the big screen. The film follows the adventure of our dear beloved blue friend as he teams up with Tom to stop Dr. Robotnik, taking the core of the games to the big screen. 

In the world of video games, Nintendo is something different. The giant has numerous family-friendly IPs under it that have provided endless hours of fun for families across the globe. It can be debated that Super Mario is the most popular video game character of all time, but a popular film was a long time in coming. And when it happened, it broke all the records. 

The Super Mario Bros. Movie brought Nintendo’s classic character to life in a rather colorful, and importantly, family-friendly adventure. Directed by Aaron Horwath and Michael Jelenic from a screenplay written by Mathew Fogel, the film follows brothers Mario and Luigi as they are transported from Brooklyn to the fantastical Mushroom Kingdom. The plot mirrors elements of the classic games, with Mario teaming up with Princess Peach and Toad to stop Bowser, voiced by Jack Black, from destroying the kingdom. 

Chris Pratt as Mario and Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach were the main stars and both enjoyed praise from critics. Moreover, the movie’s nostalgic nods to the games, perfect animation, humor, and more helped it break box office records with $1.36 billion. 

Nintendo’s first live-action adaption of a video game since 1993’s Super Mario Bros. grossed $450 million worldwide and became the highest-grossing video game adaptation until Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. movie from 2023. 

Based on the 2016 Detective Pikachu game, the film follows Tim Goodman, a young man who teams up with an amnesiac Pikachu to solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance in Ryme City. Pokemon: Detective Pikachu mixed mystery with a fantasy world filled with pocket creatures with Ryan Reynolds behind the voice of the beloved Pikachu. 

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Before Paul W.S. Anderson started a dance with Resident Evil’s Alice, Mortal Kombat from 1995 marked his first successful foray into video game adaptations. The film adapts the first two Mortal Kombat games, keeping the premise rather simple: a martial arts tournament where Earth’s heroes face off against Outworld’s warriors to save their realm.

The memorable characters included Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage, Robin Shou as Liu Kang, and Christopher Lambert as Lord Raiden. They all received praise for their portrayals, alongside Bridgette Wilson as Sonya Blade, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as evil sorcerer Shang Tsung. The faithfulness to the games was appreciated by fans, reflected in a $122.2 million box office gross from a mere $20 million budget. 

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